WO1998017336A1

WO1998017336A1 - Syringe, injector and injector system

Info

Publication number: WO1998017336A1
Application number: PCT/US1997/017840
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alan D. Hirschman; David M. Reilly
Original assignee: Medrad, Inc.
Priority date: 1996-10-18
Filing date: 1997-10-01
Publication date: 1998-04-30
Also published as: AU4894197A; US6042565A; US6048334A

Abstract

The present invention provides a syringe and a powered injector for use therewith in which the syringe is attachable to a powered drive member of an injector over a range of relative axial positions of the syringe plunger and the drive member. The syringe comprises a plunger, and a plunger extension connected thereto and extending rearward from the plunger, such that the syringe may be operated manually or by a powered injector. By providing a plurality of cooperating attachment members over a range of axial positions on at least one of the plunger extension or the powered drive member, operative attachment of the plunger and the drive member is made possible at multiple axial positions of the plunger (within the syringe) for each axial position of the drive member over at least a range of possible plunger axial positions. Attachment of the plunger to the drive member at various axial positions of the plunger thus becomes an easier task than previously possible with current powered injector systems.

Description

TITLE

SYRINGE, INJECTOR AND INJECTOR SYSTEM

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a syringe, an injector and an injector system, and particularly to a syringe, an injector and an injector system in which the

syringe plunger is attachable to a drive member of the injector over a range of relative axial positions.

Background of the Invention

Syringe injection systems have been in use in medical procedures for many

years. Many such syringes are operated manually by advancing a plunger extension in

operative connection with an internal plunger to pressurize the fluid within the syringe. In numerous medical injection procedures, however, accurate control and/or high pressures are

required that cannot be achieved via manual syringe operation. A number of syringes and powered injectors for use therewith have, therefore, been developed for use in medical

procedures such as angiography, computer tomography and NMR/MRI. For example, U.S.

Patent No. 5,383,858 discloses a front-loading syringe and powered injector in both pressure

jacket and jacketless embodiments.

Like syringes operated manually, syringes for use with powered injectors

comprise a plunger for forcing the fluid injection medium from the syringe to be injected into the patient. These plungers generally include a cooperating attachment member to enable attachment of the plunger to a powered drive member in the injector. In all cases, there is only

one axial position of the injector drive member corresponding to a specific axial position of the plunger at which attachment of the drive member to the plunger is possible. Typically, the

plunger must be placed in a single predetermined axial position within the syringe to enable

attachment of the plunger to the injector drive member. Often, the predetermined axial position of the plunger is the rearwardmost position.

Such designs present a number of problems. For example, the attachment of

the plunger to the drive member is often mechanically difficult for the user, requiring an

accurate one-to-one axial alignment. Furthermore, it is preferable to be able to attach the

plunger to the drive member when the plunger is not at its rearwardmost position. Attachment

of the plunger to the drive member at a somewhat forward position of the plunger, for

example, enables the user to draw the plunger back to check for air in the system or to check

for blood in the system to ensure proper insertion of an injection needle.

A number of medical procedures also require that the injection media undergo

some preparation before powered injection. In some procedures, for example, a contrast medium is received by the end user in the form of a dry powder that must be mixed with a

liquid vehicle before injection. In general, the amount of liquid added to a specified amount of dry powder must be relatively precisely measured. Typically, a hand-held or manually operated

syringe is used to draw the prescribed amount of liquid out of a container. This amount of

liquid is then injected into a vial containing the specified amount of the powder. The liquid and powder are then mixed or agitated before injection into a patient. For a number of reasons, it is very difficult to inject such a prepared injection medium using current powered injectors. For example, most manually operated syringes,

which are typically used to draw the prepared injection medium, cannot be mounted on current powered injectors. Moreover, it is difficult to transfer the medium from a manual syringe into a

syringe suitable to be mounted on currently available power injectors. Although a small

number of syringes and injectors for use therewith have been developed in which the syringe

can be used in a manual mode and in a powered injection mode, for example the

syringe/injector system described in WO 82/1988 entitled "Mechanism For Screw Drive And

Syringe Plunger Engagement/Disengagement", such syringe/injector systems suffer from the

same axial alignment problems discussed above. Further, these prior art syringe/injector

systems require the manual alignment of the injector drive mechanism with the syringe plunger.

It is, therefore, desirable to develop a syringe and a powered injector for use therewith which minimize or eliminate the alignment difficulties discussed above. It is also

desirable to develop such a syringe and injector in which the syringe can be operated in a

manual mode and in a powered injection mode.

Summary of the Invention Accordingly, the present invention provides a syringe and a powered injector for use therewith in which the syringe is attachable to a powered drive member of

an injector over a range of relative axial positions of the syringe plunger and the drive member. The syringe comprises an elongated body and a plunger movably mounted in the elongated body to pressurize a fluid medium to be injected. The syringe also comprises a

plunger extension connected to the plunger and extending rearward from the plunger. In

one embodiment, the plunger extension comprises a plurality of plunger attachment members located over a range of axial positions on the plunger extension. Each of the plurality of plunger attachment members is adapted to form a releasable attachment with at

least one cooperating injector attachment member on the powered drive member. In another embodiment, the plunger extension of the plunger comprises at least one plunger

attachment member which is adapted to form a releasable attachment with each of a

plurality of corresponding injector attachment members located over a range of axial

positions on the powered drive member. By providing a plurality of cooperating attachment members over a range of axial positions on at least one of the plunger

extension or the powered drive member, operative attachment of the plunger and the drive

member is made possible at multiple axial positions of the plunger (within the syringe) for

each axial position of the drive member over at least a range of possible plunger axial

positions. Attachment of the plunger to the drive member at various axial positions of the plunger thus becomes an easier task than previously possible with current powered

injector systems.

In another embodiment, the plunger extension preferably comprises a

plurality of plunger attachment members located over a range of axial positions on the

plunger extension. Each of the plurality of plunger attachment members preferably is adapted to form a releasable attachment with each of a plurality of cooperating injector

attachment members located over a range of axial positions on the powered drive member.

As with the above-described embodiments, operative attachment of the plunger and the drive member is possible at multiple axial positions of the plunger for each axial position of the drive member over at least a range of possible plunger axial positions. Moreover, providing a plurality of cooperating attachment members on each of the plunger extension and the powered drive member enables cooperating attachment of more than one of the

attachment members of the plunger extension with more than one of the attachment

members of the powered drive member over a range of relative axial positions of the

plunger and the drive member. Such multiple cooperating attachment points provides a

stronger connection than provided by a single attachment point and enables use of a wider

range of construction materials for the plunger extension and/or the powered drive

member. For example, the plunger extension may be fabricated from a disposable plastic material.

Preferably, the attachment members on the plunger extension and the drive member are positioned substantially symmetrically about a common axis to reduce or

eliminate uneven loading and torque.

Preferably, the plunger extension is adapted to enable operation of the

syringe in a manual mode as well as a powered injection mode. In that regard, the plunger

extension preferably extends beyond the rear of the elongated body of the syringe and

preferably comprises a flange or pressure member on a rearward end thereof to facilitate

manual operation.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 illustrates in cross-section an embodiment of a syringe of the present invention.

Figure 2A illustrates an elevation of an embodiment of a plunger base and

plunger extension of the present invention. Figure 2B illustrates an exploded view of a portion of the plunger base and

plunger extension of Figure 2A comprising cooperating attachment members for

releasably connecting to a drive member.

Figure 2C illustrates a top perspective view of the embodiment of the plunger base and plunger extension of Figure 2 A.

Figure 2D illustrates a bottom perspective view of the embodiment of the

plunger base and plunger extension of Figure 2 A.

Figure 3 A illustrates a perspective view an embodiment of the powered injector of the present invention.

Figure 3 B illustrate a perspective view of the powered injector of

Figure 3 A with the syringe mounted thereon.

Figure 3C illustrates a cross-sectional view of the powered injector of

Figure 3 A.

Figure 3D illustrates a cross-sectional view of the powered injector of

Figure 3 A connected to the syringe of Figure 1.

Figure 3E illustrates a rear perspective view of an embodiment of a retainer

in which a syringe has been partially mounted.

Figure 3F illustrates a rear perspective view of the retainer of Figure 3E in

which the syringe has been rotated 90 degrees for secure mounting. Figure 4A illustrates proper alignment of an embodiment of a plunger extension and an embodiment of a drive member to effect a releasable connection

therebetween. Figure 4B illustrates insertion of the drive member within a passage in the plunger extension.

Figure 4C illustrates rotation of the plunger extension of Figure 4B relative

to the drive member to releasably connect the plunger extension to the drive member.

Figure 4D illustrates an exploded view of the drive member.

Figure 4E illustrates a front view of the drive member.

Figure 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a syringe taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4 A.

Figure 6 illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of a plunger extension and drive member.

Detailed Description of the Invention

As illustrated in Figure 1, syringe 10 comprises an elongated and preferably

cylindrical body 20. A plunger 30 is slidably disposed inside cylindrical body 20. Preferably, plunger 30 comprises an elastomeric plunger surface or sealing cover 35 and a base 40.

Base 40 is best illustrated in Figures 1, 2 2C and 2D and is preferably fabricated from a relatively structurally strong material such as a polypropelene, nylon or polycarbonate.

Contact surface 35 fits over and is supported by base 40. As best illustrated in Figure 1, contact surface 35 may comprise an inwardly projecting circumferential attachment member 45. Attachment member 45 is designed to seat in a channel 50 of base 40 to hold

contact surface 35 on base 40. When supported by base 40 and positioned within elongated body 20, the side perimeter of contact surface 35 forms a cylindrical sealing engagement with

the inner sidewall of elongated body 20. When drawn rearward, plunger 30 causes fluids to be drawn into elongated cylindrical body 20. When forced forward, plunger 30 causes any fluid

within elongated cylindrical body 20 to be forced out of elongated cylindrical body 20 via syringe tip 60.

As used herein to describe syringe 10, the terms "axial" or "axially" refer generally to an axis A around which syringe 10 is preferably formed (although not necessarily

symmetrically therearound). The term "radial" refers generally to a direction normal to axis A.

The terms "rear" or "rearward" refer generally to an axial direction away from syringe tip 60.

The terms "front" or "forward" refer generally to an axial direction toward syringe tip 60.

Syringe 10 also comprises a plunger extension 100 which is operatively

connected to plunger 30 and preferably extends rearward from plunger 30 beyond the rear of

elongated cylindrical body 20. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 2A through 2D,

plunger extension 100 is formed integrally with plunger base 40. Plunger extension 100 may

be fabricated, however, to be permanently attached or releasably attachable to base 40.

Syringe 10 is preferably designed to be front-loading onto corresponding

injector 200. A front-loading syringe and injector system is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,383,858, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The present

invention is equally applicable, however, to syringe and injector systems other than front-

loading syringe and injector systems.

As shown in Fig. 3C, injector housing 235 encloses a reciprocating drive

member 210 which cooperates with syringe plunger extension 100 and, thereby, plunger 30 to

inject an injection fluid from the interior of elongated cylindrical body 20 into a patient. Drive

member 210 is extendable and retractable via a powered means preferably contained within injection housing 235 and comprising, for example, a motor or hydraulic system, including

appropriate gearing (not shown). Injector housing 235 also preferably includes a motor controller for controlling operation of a motor and thereby controlling operation of drive member 210.

Fig. 3 A shows that injector housing 235 preferably comprises a retainer 205

formed with an opening 230 therein for releasable mounting syringe 10 in a predetermined position relative to injector housing 235. Opening 230 formed in retainer 205 and syringe 10

preferably comprise cooperating mounting mechanisms for securely affixing syringe 10 to

injector housing 235. Preferably, such cooperating mounting mechanisms comprise cooperating retaining flanges formed upon opening 230 and mounting flanges formed upon the

rearward portion of syringe 10.

In a preferred embodiment, opening 230 comprises a pair of opposed, axially

extending slots 250 and 255. Slots 250 and 255 preferably separate and define a pair of

radially inwardly projecting syringe retaining flanges 260 and 265 formed around the

circumference of opening 230. To the rear of retaining flanges 260 and 265 is a circumferential

groove or channel 270, which is in communication with the axial slots 250 and 255. Retaining

flanges 260 and 265 are preferably formed as a portion of retainer 205 of injector housing 235.

Opening 230 may, for example, be machined out of aluminum or other suitable material such as plastic. Opening 230 receives and firmly secures syringe 10 to injector

housing 235. In that regard, as shown in Fig. 4 syringe 10 preferably comprises on a rear portion thereof a set of radially extending mounting flanges 160 and 165. As shown in Fig. 3E and 5, mounting flanges 160 and 165 may be of a different shape to insure a particular alignment of syringe 10 when syringe 10 is mounted into retainer 205. In this embodiment,

slots 250 and 255 are shaped so as to receive their respective mounting flanges 160 and 165. It

is understood, however, that mounting flanges 160 and 165, and their respective slots 250 and

255, may be of the same shape. A radially extending drip flange 170 is preferably formed forwardly from mounting flanges 160 and 165.

Drip flange 170 assists in proper axial positioning of syringe 10 with respect to

the front wall of injector housing 235 by preferably abutting the face of the front wall when

syringe 10 is properly positioned. Drip flange 170 further substantially prevents liquid from leaking into injector housing 235, which may cause damage to injector 200. Drip flange 170

also provides structural reinforcement for elongated cylindrical body 20.

During mounting of syringe 10 in injector housing 235, mounting flanges 160

and 165 pass through slots 250 and 255, respectively, until, for example, drip flange 170 abuts

face 280 of retainer 205. When syringe 10 is mounted on the injector front wall as described

above, drip flange 170 preferably makes a sealing engagement with face 280. Syringe 10 and

mounting flanges 160 and 165 are then rotated from the position illustrated in Figure 3E to the position illustrated in Figure 3 F such that mounting flanges 160 and 165 are rotatably and

closely received in a circumferential channel 270. In this position, mounting flanges 160 and

165 abut and are retained by retaining flanges 260 and 265, respectively. The mounting procedure is simply reversed to dismount syringe 10 from injector 200. Plunger extension 100 preferably comprises means for releasably attaching plunger extension 100 to drive member 210 of powered injector 200. As described above, drive member 210 cooperates with plunger extension 100 to impart substantially linear, reciprocal motion to plunger 30. In one embodiment, as shown in Figs. 2A and 2B, plunger extension 100 preferably comprises a passage 130 through rear pressure member 120 and

extending through a portion of plunger extension 100. Passage 130 preferably comprises two

opposing rows of radially inwardly extending flanges or ridges 140 and intermediate

grooves 145 symmetrically positioned over a range of axial positions on the sidewalls thereof. Flanges 140 and intermediate grooves 145 mate with two opposing rows of cooperating

radially outwardly extending flanges or ridges 280 and intermediate grooves 285 positioned

over a range of axial positions on drive member 210 to create a readily releasable attachment of

plunger extension 100 and drive member 210 over a range of axial positions of the plunger 30.

In this embodiment, drive member 210 preferably comprises two symmetrically formed and substantially flat sides 290 and 295 (best illustrated in Figures 4D and 4E) and two

curved portion therebetween on which flanges 280 and intermediate grooves 285 are formed.

Passage 130 is preferably shaped in the form of an arch. In this embodiment, plunger extension 100 and drive member 210 are rotated to the relative positions illustrated in

Figure 4 A such that substantially flat sides 290 and 295 are aligned to face flanges 140 of passage 130. In this position, drive member 210 is substantially freely slidable in and out of

passage 130. As illustrated in Figure 4B, plunger extension 100 and drive member 210 are

moved in a linear manner relative to each other such that drive member 210 enters passage 130 and that flanges 140 and grooves 145 are aligned with corresponding grooves 285 and

flanges 280, respectively.

Upon achieving such alignment, plunger extension 100 and drive member 210

are preferably rotated relative to each other such that a plurality of flanges 280 mate with a plurality of grooves 145 and a plurality of flanges 140 mate with a plurality of grooves 285 to

create a secure connection between drive member 210 and plunger extension 100 as illustrated

in Figure 4C. In this position, drive member 210 can impart powered forward or rearward motion to plunger 30. To detach plunger extension 100 from drive member 210, plunger

extension 100 and drive member 210 are rotated relative to each other such that ridges 140

face substantially flat sides 290 and 295. In this position, as set forth above, plunger

extension 100 and drive member 210 are easily slidable relative to each other and may be separated.

Each of flanges 140 and cooperating flanges 280 are preferably positioned relatively close to adjacent flanges 140 and 280, respectively, to facilitated connection. There

is also preferably some amount of "play" in the system to allow proper alignment of

corresponding flanges and grooves upon rotatable attachment of plunger extension 100 to

drive member 210. For example, plunger 30 may move forward or rearward a small amount

during connective rotation to allow proper alignment. Preferably, flanges 140 and flanges 280 have tapered leads to assist in assuring proper alignment.

Preferably, rotation of mounting flanges 160 and 165 of the syringe 10 to seat

in circumferential channel 270 also results in attachment of plunger extension 100 and drive member 210 as described above. Thus, the plunger extension 100 and drive member 210 need

not be manually aligned after installation of the syringe 10, as required by prior art syringe/injector systems. The degree of rotation required for mounting syringe 10 upon injector housing 235 and the degree of rotation required to releasably connect plunger

• extension 100 to drive member 210 may, for example, each be approximately 90 degrees. In this embodiment, syringe 10 is preferably fabricated such that upon inserting plunger 30 and the

attached plunger extension 100 within elongated cylindrical body 20, plunger extension 100

cannot be easily rotated relative to elongated cylindrical body 20. In this manner, elongated

cylindrical body 20 and plunger extension 100 preferably can be rotated as a unit. In the

embodiment illustrated in Figure 5, this result is accomplished via spines 150 on plunger

extension 100 which cooperate with slots 155 on elongated cylindrical body 20 to substantially

prevent relative rotation between plunger extension 100 and elongated cylindrical body 20,

while permitting reciprocal axial motion of the plunger extension 100 within cylindrical body 20.

Likewise, the rotation of mounting flanges 160 and 165 to align flanges 160 and 165 with slots 250 and 255 to remove or dismount syringe 10 from injector housing 235

preferably results in detachable alignment of plunger extension 100 from drive member 210. In

this manner, syringe 10 can be easily removed from injector housing 235.

In an alternative to the embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, the plunger

extension 100' extending from the rear of plunger 30 can comprise a grooved rod similar to

drive member 210 illustrated in Figures 4A through 4D. In this embodiment, the drive member 210' of the injector preferably comprises a passage 130' therethrough similar to passage 130

formed in the plunger extension 100. Each of the drive member 210' and the plunger extension

100' once again preferably comprises a plurality of cooperating attachment members (for

example, circumferential flanges and intermediate grooves or channels) located over a range of axial positions thereon. The plunger extension 100' of this embodiment passes through the passage 130' of the drive member 210' to allow releasable connection of the drive member 210' to the plunger extension 100'.

Extending the plunger extension of the present invention beyond the rear of

elongated cylindrical body 20, enables operation of syringe 10 in a manual mode. That is, by

application of appropriate manual force to plunger extension 100, for example, a user can draw fluid into elongated cylindrical body 20 or expel fluid from elongated cylindrical body 20. Plunger extension 100 is preferably of sufficient length that the user may take advantage of a

maximum volume of elongated cylindrical body 20. Plunger extension 100 also preferably

includes a flange or pressure member 120 on the rearward end thereof to facilitate manual operation.

Although the present invention has been described in detail in connection

with the above examples, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose

and that variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit

of the invention except as it may be limited by the following claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A syringe for use with a powered injector, the powered injector

comprising an injector housing having a powered drive member therein, the syringe comprising:

a. an elongated body;

b. a plunger movably mounted in the elongated body for pressurizing the fluid medium; and

c. a plunger extension connected to the plunger and extending rearward from the plunger, the plunger extension comprising a

plurality of plunger attachment members located over a range of

axial positions on the plunger extension, each of the plurality of plunger attachment members adapted to form a releasable

attachment with at least one corresponding injector attachment

member on the powered drive member.

2. The syringe of Claim 1, further comprising a mounting mechanism

connected to a rearward portion of the elongated body, the mounting mechanism

comprising at least two mounting flanges adapted to rotatably and releasably mount the syringe in a desired position relative to the injector housing.

3. The syringe of Claim 1 wherein the plunger extension comprises a

pressure member on the rearward end thereof adapted for manual application of force

thereto.

4. The syringe of Claim 1 wherein the plurality of plunger attachment

member comprise a plurality of radially extending flanges and intermediate grooves and

the at least one injector attachment member comprises a radially extending flange.

5. The syringe of Claim 4 wherein the injector attachment member on

the drive member comprises a plurality of radially extending flanges and intermediate

groove positioned over a range of axial positions on the drive member, the plurality of flanges of the plunger extension adapted to mate with the plurality of intermediate grooves

of the drive member to form a releasable connection between the drive member and the plunger extension.

6. The syringe of Claim 5 wherein the plunger extension and the drive

member form a releasable connection therebetween on relative rotation thereof.

7. The syringe of Claim 6 wherein the plunger extension comprises a

passage formed in the rearward end thereof through which the drive member passes when

the syringe is mounted on the powered injector, the passage comprising two opposing

rows of radially inwardly extending flanges and intermediate grooves, the two opposing

rows of radially inwardly extending flanges adapted to cooperate and make a releasable

connection with two opposing rows of radially outwardly extending flanges and

intermediate grooves formed on the drive member.

8. The syringe of Claim 6 wherein the drive member comprises a

passage formed in the forward end thereof through which the plunger extension passes when the syringe is mounted on the powered injector, the passages comprising two opposing rows of radially inwardly extending flanges and intermediate grooves, the two opposing rows of radially inwardly extending flanges adapted to cooperate and make a

releasable connection with two opposing rows of radially outwardly extending flanges and

intermediate grooves formed on the passage of the plunger extension.

9. The syringe of Claim 7 wherein the relative rotation of the plunger

extension and the drive member to make the releasable connection therebetween

corresponds to a rotation necessary to releasably mount the syringe to the powered injector.

10. The syringe of Claim 9 wherein the plunger extension comprises at least one abutment member for substantially preventing rotation of the plunger extension

relative to the elongated cylindrical body of the syringe.

1 1. A syringe for use with a powered injector, the powered injector comprising an injector housing having a powered drive member therein, the syringe comprising:

a. an elongated body;

b. a plunger movably mounted in the elongated body for pressurizing

the fluid medium;

c. a plunger extension connected to the plunger and extending rearward from the plunger, the plunger extension comprising at least one plunger attachment member thereon, the at least one

plunger attachment members adapted to form a releasable attachment with each of a plurality of injector attachment members located over a range of axial positions on the drive member.

12. The syringe of Claim 1 1, further comprising a mounting mechanism

connected to a rearward portion of the elongated body, the mounting mechanism

13. The syringe of Claim 1 wherein the plunger extension comprises a

thereto.

14. The syringe of Claim 1 1 wherein the plurality of injector attachment member comprise a plurality of radially extending flanges and intermediate grooves and

the at least one plunger attachment member comprises a radially extending flange.

15. The syringe of Claim 15 wherein the plunger extension and the

drive member form a releasable connection therebetween on relative rotation thereof.

16. The syringe of Claim 15 wherein the relative rotation of the plunger

extension and the drive member to make the releasable connection therebetween corresponds to a rotation necessary to releasably mount the syringe to the powered injector.

17. The syringe of Claim 16 wherein the plunger extension comprises at least one abutment member for substantially preventing rotation of the plunger extension

relative to the elongated cylindrical body of the syringe.

18. A powered injector for use with a syringe, the syringe comprising a plunger, the plunger comprising a plunger extension connected to the plunger and

extending rearward from the plunger, the plunger extension comprising a plurality of plunger attachment members located over a range of axial positions on the plunger extension, the powered injector comprising:

a. an injector housing;

b. a retainer for releasably mounting the syringe at a desired position

relative to the injector housing; and c. a drive member disposed within the injector housing, the drive

member comprising a plurality of injector attachment members

located over a range of axial positions on the powered drive member;

the plurality injector attachment members adapted to mate with the plurality of plunger attachment members to form a releasable connection between the drive member and the

plunger extension such that at one axial position of the drive member, the plunger

extension can be connected to the drive member over a range of axial positions of the plunger extension.

19. An injector system comprising a powered injector and a syringe, the powered injector comprising:

a. an injector housing; b. a retainer for releasably mounting a syringe at a desired position

member comprising a plurality of injector attachment members located over a range of axial positions on the powered drive member; the syringe comprising:

d. an elongated body;

e. a plunger movably mounted in the elongated body for pressurizing the fluid medium; and

f. a plunger extension connected to the plunger and extending

rearward from the plunger, the plunger extension comprising a

plurality of plunger attachment members located over a range of

axial positions on the plunger extension; the plurality of plunger attachment members adapted to mate with the plurality injector

attachment members to form a releasable connection between the drive member and the

20. A plunger for use in a syringe for use with a powered injector, the injector comprising a powered drive member, the plunger being adapted to be movably

mounted in the syringe for pressurizing the fluid medium, the plunger comprising a plunger extension connected to the plunger and extending rearward from the plunger, the

plunger extension comprising a plurality of plunger attachment members located over a range of axial positions on the plunger extension, each of the plurality of plunger attachment members adapted to form a releasable attachment with at least one

corresponding injector attachment member on the powered drive member.

21. A drive member for use in a powered injector for use with a

syringe, the syringe comprising a plunger movably mounted in the syringe for pressurizing

the fluid medium, the plunger comprising a plunger extension connected to the plunger

and extending rearward from the plunger, the drive member comprising a plurality of

injector attachment members located over a range of axial positions on the drive member, each of the plurality of injector attachment members adapted to form a releasable

attachment with at least one corresponding plunger attachment member on the plunger extension.